The invention relates to a symmetrical breast prosthesis for wearing in the left or right cup of a brassiere or corselet following a mastectomy in a person.
Breast prosthesis are known in the prior art. A prior art breast prosthesis includes a prosthesis body which has a front having the shape of a natural breast, a concave back provided with at least one elongated notch and a prosthesis edge which forms a closed line and at which the front and the back each end, the prosthesis body comprising a flexible silicone rubber material which is enclosed without cavities in a bag of elastically extensible plastics films connected tightly to one another along the prosthesis edge.
Such a breast prosthesis is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,136,028. It has a symmetrical triangular shape and can consequently be worn alternatively as a replacement for the right or left amputated breast, the notch or notches at the back of the prosthesis body running in each case transversely to the longitudinal axis of the wearer""s body. Although this breast prosthesis virtually completely compensates the removed breast tissue up to the region of the armpit, it is not always felt to be optimum by prosthesis wearers because the lateral branch towards the sternum may be too long and is troublesome particularly when the prosthesis is worn in an underwired brassiere.
Another symmetrical breast prosthesis which can be worn alternatively on the left or right side of the breast has a drop-shaped outline. Such a breast prosthesis is described, for example, in German Utility Model 69 26 549. It is particularly suitable for those women in whom it has been possible to retain the upper breast attachment and it is necessary to compensate for tissue removed surgically in the armpit region. It is sometimes also worn in such a way that its branch points towards the shoulder if tissue has been removed at the upper breast attachment. Owing to its drop shape, however, it cannot simultaneously compensate surgically removed tissue in the armpit region and at the upper breast attachment.
However, symmetrical breast prostheses which have both a lateral branch and an upper branch are also known, the two branches being of equal length. These breast prostheses are approximately heart-shaped and are worn in such a way that their plane of symmetry lying between the two branches makes an angle of about 45xc2x0 with the longitudinal axis of the wearer""s body, one of the branches always pointing to the shoulder and the respective other branch to the armpit when the breast prosthesis is worn on the left side as well as on the right side. However, the heart-shaped breast prostheses known to date also do not always correspond to the natural conditions towards the sternum. Moreover, the branches are often too short in the direction of the armpit or too long in the direction of the shoulder.
The ideal shape of the breast prosthesis has been possessed to date only by the asymmetrical breast prosthesis which has two branches, of which the upper branch is smaller than the lateral branch. Inevitably, asymmetrical breast prostheses are formed in such a way that they can be worn either only on the left side of the body or only on the right side of the body. Since the shapes for xe2x80x9cleftxe2x80x9d asymmetrical breast prostheses are different from the shapes for xe2x80x9crightxe2x80x9d asymmetrical breast prostheses, asymmetrical breast prostheses are in principle more expensive to produce than symmetrical breast prostheses, in which the side on which they are worn is in fact independent of the shapes used in production. Since asymmetrical breast prostheses can be worn either only on the left or only on the right, their stock-keeping in the trade is also more complicated than that of symmetrical breast prostheses. In comparison with symmetrical breast prostheses, it would in fact be necessary to stock twice the quantity of asymmetrical breast prostheses if affected women are to be supplied equally with symmetrical or asymmetrical breast prostheses. If breast prostheses are offered, as usual, in 10 to 15 different sizes, the double stock-keeping and hence twice the volume of asymmetrical breast prostheses compared with symmetrical breast prostheses is problematic especially in small businesses which often have very limited storage facilities. Owing to their more complicated stock-keeping, asymmetrical breast prostheses are therefore less popular than symmetrical breast prostheses in the trade.
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a breast prosthesis of the generic type that can provide compensation for removed breast tissue at the upper and armpit-near breast attachment which is at least as favorable in terms of shape and weight as an asymmetrical breast prosthesis, but whose capability of being worn alternatively on the left or right side of the breast is unrestricted.
This achieved if the closed line formed by the prosthesis edge is heart-shaped and two identical notches are provided which are arranged symmetrically with respect to a symmetry plane dividing the prosthesis body into two equal halves and at an angle between them in the range between 30xc2x0 and 90xc2x0 so that, when the prosthesis is worn, only one of the two notches is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the wearer""s body.
The term xe2x80x9cheart-shapedxe2x80x9d should be interpreted widely. In principle, it is intended to describe the shape of a symmetrical prosthesis which has two branches which are arranged a distance apart and one of which points towards the shoulder and the other towards the armpit when the prosthesis is worn, the section of the prosthesis edge between the two branches having a more or less concave shape. Even a straight or virtually straight shape of this section of the prosthesis edge is not intended to mean that the total shape of the prosthesis in outline can no longer be designated as xe2x80x9cheart-shapedxe2x80x9d. What is essential for the heart-shaped prosthesis is that it can be worn on the left or right side of the breast, it being merely necessary to rotate the prosthesis through 90xc2x0 when the breast side is changed.
An advantage of the breast prosthesis according to the present invention is that it combines the advantages of an asymmetrical breast prosthesis with regard to comfort when worn and compensation capability with those of a symmetrical breast prosthesis with regard to changeability of side.
As in the case of the prosthesis described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,136,028 mentioned at the outset, the breast prosthesis according to the present invention collapses slightly when the wearer is in the upright position, owing to the notch effect of the notches running transversely to the longitudinal axis of the wearer""s body, the upper branch slipping slightly downwards and that part of the prosthesis which corresponds to the lower region of the breast acquiring greater convexity corresponding to the natural conditions. As in the case of the breast prosthesis disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,136,028, the breast prosthesis according to the present invention has the advantage that it becomes slightly flattened when the wearer is prostrate and consequently also corresponds to the natural conditions when the wearer is prostrate. Moreover, compared with other known breast prostheses without notches, the breast prosthesis according to present the invention has the advantage of improved swinging behavior and a lower weight.
Compared with the conventional asymmetrical breast prosthesis, the breast prosthesis according to the present invention has the further advantage that the symmetrical branches can be made slightly longer than in the case of the conventional asymmetrical breast prosthesis because, when the wearer is in the upright position, the upper branch slips slightly downwards owing to the collapse of the prosthesis, whereas the lateral branch remains unchanged in length and continues to extend to the armpit region, so that it can better compensate tissue removed there than the lateral branch of an asymmetrical breast prosthesis. The shortening of the upper branch of the breast prosthesis according to the present invention when the wearer is in the upright position has the effect that it does not project out of the brassiere, which is considered to be pleasant by the wearer for visual reasons.
Preferably, the two notches each extend in length along a line which passes in each case through one of the two rounded corners of the heart-shaped prosthesis contour. This has the advantage that the transition between each notch and the prosthesis edge in the longitudinal direction of the notch can be made particularly gentle because the prosthesis edge at this point is the greatest distance away from the respective notch.
Preferably, the two notches make an angle in the range of 40xc2x0 to 60xc2x0 with one another.
In the case of smaller prosthesis sizes, it may be advantageous if the two notches each extend in length along a line which in each case intersects the heart-shaped prosthesis contour at a point which is located laterally next to one of two rounded corners of the heart-shaped prosthesis contour. Here, it may furthermore be advantageous if the two notches make an angle of about 90xc2x0 with one another. Furthermore, it may be advantageous here if the inner ends of the two notches meet the plane of symmetry.
In the case of larger prosthesis sizes, it may be advantageous if at least one further notch is provided between the two notches since each further notch improves the flattening capacity when the wearer of the prosthesis is prostrate. Each of the two notches may also be curved in the longitudinal direction.
Finally, it may be advantageous if, in addition to the two notches, further notches are provided at the back of the prosthesis body, the further notches being arranged symmetrically with respect to the plane of symmetry of the prosthesis body.
The object according to the present invention is thus also achieved if the closed line formed by the prosthesis edge is heart-shaped and is provided with a V-shaped notch which is symmetrical with respect to a plane of symmetry dividing the prosthesis body into two equal halves and has an opening angle in the range between 30xc2x0 and 90xc2x0 between its two limbs, only one of the two limbs of the notch being essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the wearer""s body in the state when worn.
In the case of larger prosthesis sizes, it may be advantageous if, in addition to the V-shaped notch, at least one further notch is provided. The further notch, too, may be V-shaped. The V-shaped notch and/or each further V-shaped notch can in each case have a curved or rounded section between the two limbs. Furthermore, the two limbs of the V-shaped notch and/or the two limbs of each further V-shaped notch may be curved in the longitudinal direction.
The breast prosthesis according to the present invention can be noticeably reduced in weight if the silicone rubber material is mixed with a filler comprising hollow spheres which have a weight of 5 to 30% by weight, based on the weight of the silicone rubber material.
Preferably, the mixture consisting of the silicone rubber material and filler has a viscosity of 2500 to 8000 mPaxc2x7s. The hollow spheres may comprise a plastic or glass.